


Into the Woods

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Jensen Ackles, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Possessive Jared Padalecki, Prince Jensen, Sad Jensen, Slow Burn, Soft Jared Padalecki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29036811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: Jensen was aware that he was in an enviable position. Hell, who wouldn’t want to be the prince of the strongest nation in the world? Sure, his mother was condescending and treated him like a child and his father was extremely demanding of him in every aspect of his life and he would never bee good enough for either of them and he had no real friends because everyone who interacts with him is either a frighten servant or a noble looking to get into the royal bloodline but whatever. He was rich and in line for the throne and he could have whatever he wanted.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	1. Wanting

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tumblr post

Jensen was aware that he was in an enviable position. Hell, who wouldn’t want to be prince of the strongest nation in the world? Sure, his mother was condescending and treated him like a child and his father was extremely demanding of him in every aspect of his life and he would never bee good enough for either of them and he had no real friends because everyone who interacts with him is either a frighten servant or a noble looking to get into the royal bloodline but whatever. He was rich and in line for the throne and he could have whatever he wanted.

“Prince Jensen!”

Except a moment of peace, apparently. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to face his tutor. “Yes?”

“You left before I had the chance to give you your assignment,” he scolded. “You may have a brilliant mind but languages are your worst subject. How are you going to be a diplomat if you can’t honor other traditions and cultures?” 

Jensen let the lecture wash over him. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before and he was sure he’d get it again at dinner when word of his poor performance reached his father. He always got the same lecture at least twice when something like this happened. “I understand, sir. I’ll do extra lines tonight, I promise.”

“See to it that you do.”

He let out a sigh of relief as his tutor left. He was filled to the brim with energy and since there was no training today, he needed to find another way to get it out before he was forced through family time. Going for a ride should help; riding his horse usually helped most things.

Carefully avoiding the stablehands, he grabbed his least ornate saddle (still very rich looking but at least it wasn’t glowing) and got his horse, Baby, ready for a ride. “Poor thing, you’ve been cooped up all day haven’t you?” he cooed, trying to placate her obvious annoyance at the lack of attention lately. “We’ll go for a nice, long ride today.”

They rode out at a slower pace to avoid attention before bursting into a gallop when they reached the edge of the castle property. Jensen let out a loud whoop unbecoming of a royal and smiled as the wind rushed past him. He felt alive, he felt free, he felt happy, he felt so many things he could barely name them all. Out here, riding with Baby, he had no worries, no troubles. Just a few hours of wonder and freedom.

Eventually, they came to a stream and he brought her to a stop for a drink; riding was fun but it could take a lot out of them. He took a long drink from the stream, not caring if there might be disease in the water. He could die from it and it wouldn’t matter because at least he’d be dying a free man. 

Once he had his fill, he laid back on the soft grass on the bank, letting the breeze cool him off. He shed his most royal wear and folded it off to the side so it wouldn’t get too wrinkled; he was in too good a mood to get yelled at. He closed his eyes and let himself rest, just for a bit. He could have some more adrenaline later. 

Jensen was nearly asleep when he heard it. Soft singing came from the nearby forest and, like a siren, it pulled him in. He stood and stalked closer, following his ears until he came across a small clearing. He gasped and quickly hid behind a particularly thick tree when he saw the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Surely this tall and muscular yet lean and soft being was a nymph or a sprite or even fae; there was no way he could be human. And that voice...smooth and full and perfectly in tune. It was like watching a dream in real life.

The boy (fae? nymph?) was making a flower crown, much like the one he already wore on his head. His nose scrunched adorably as he inspected it, soon turning into a blinding smile once it was deemed good. Then he looked up and Jensen was hit with the full force of it. It was a miracle he survived. HIs eyes were just as beautiful as his dimples, if not more so, a kaleidoscope of colors.

That were looking right at him.

_ Oh no. _

“You don’t have to be shy. There’s room for both of us.” The boy’s smile was somehow wider than it was before as he pat a patch of grass beside him. “Did you want a crown? I can teach you how to make one.”

Jensen’s jaw dropped and it must’ve looked as silly as he felt because now the boy was giggling and he was torn between being embarrassed and being absolutely entranced by the sound. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out from behind the tree and moved closer. “I’m not sure I’d be good at it. I’ve never been much of a crafter.” More like it was actively discouraged and considered unprincely for him to pursue anything more creative than battle strategies.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be great at it. My name's Jared, by the way.” The boy-  _ Jared _ \- smiled and pat the grass again, clearly expecting Jensen to sit there.

Who was he to deny such a simple request? “It’s nice to meet you, Jared. I’m Jens- Jen. Just Jen.” He wasn’t sure why he bothered hiding the truth; maybe because it was so easy. It’s not like anyone outside of the truly noble knew what he looked like and with his royal finery far away, he probably passed as a somewhat-comfortable farmboy, a theory supported by the fact that Jared wasn’t freaking out and bowing and offering his finest calf. Besides, he wanted to get away from Prince Jensen for a while; Jen was a much more interesting character.

As soon as he sat down, the flower crown was placed on his head and he was once again graced with Jared’s laugh. And maybe he laughed a little too. “Thank you. I always thought I would look good in a crown,” he joked. It felt better than his official one at least.

“Well, you were right. So, Jen, what brings you to the woods?”

Jensen shrugged. “Just needed a break I guess.”

“Well, you certainly came to the right place. It’s a good place to be when you want to disappear for a bit.”

“You come here often then?”

Jared sighed softly. “Yeah. Pretty much every day after I finish my chores. I love my family and all but sometimes I need a break, you know?”

He definitely related to that. “Same here. I felt like I was gonna burst if I didn’t get somewhere different.”

“Well, it’s hard to get much more different than the middle of the woods.”

“True enough.”

Jared picked some more flowers and started making another crown, humming softly as he worked. Jensen laid on his side and watched, mesmerized by the simple yet precise steps. Slowly, the weight of his day caught up to him and he felt himself drifting off to the sounds of sweet songs and images of a sweet fae boy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay before you start this chapter, I've been revising my big plan (part of why this took so long) so the story is going to be different than originally intended so a lot of what I said in the comments last chapter won't apply anymore. No spoilers but shit's different now.

Jensen woke with the sun’s warmth on his face, a gentle breeze in his hair, and gentle humming in his ear. Smiling, he found the hazel eyes of the beautiful Jared staring back at him. “Have a good nap?” came the teasing voice, sparking a soft chuckle. 

“Yeah….I did. Thank you for watching over me.” He hummed softly and let Jared card his fingers through his hair. “Sorry for not being good company.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure you just had a rough day.” Jared smiled and tucked a flower into his hair. 

Jensen shrugged. “You’re not completely wrong,” he murmured. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He was about to shake his head and brush it off but he suddenly felt the urge to unburden himself. “I feel like I’m never going to be good enough,” he started. “My parents always seem disappointed, no matter what I do. Either I’m not good enough at the right things or I’m too good at the wrong things. And it’s not like I don’t try or anything, because I do. It just feels like there’s no point to it. Who cares if I do get better at school? I’ll just be told it’s not enough. Who cares if I’m good at dancing? I should clearly be spending more time with my books if I have time to ‘waste’ on such a frivolous activity.” He scoffed and rolled off of Jared’s lap. “Just once, I’d like to hear someone say they’re proud of me.”

He sat up and looked at Jared. For a moment, he saw a flicker of pure rage on those beautiful features, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Must be a trick of the light.

“I’m so sorry you have to deal with that, Jen. It must be hard, never being good enough for anyone.”

Jensen sighed, pulling his knees to his chest. “It is. But I know I’ve got it better than most, so it feels silly to complain. Poor Jen doesn’t get enough attention from his parents while orphans starve because prices are so high they can’t even afford to steal.” It was a cruel world, but he’d never let himself complain. 

“But you’re hurt. Doesn’t that count for something?” Jared’s soulful eyes pierced him as he tangled their fingers together in the grass. “Shouldn’t you always want to escape pain, no matter what kind it is?”

He shrugged again. “I suppose. But my situation isn’t easy to escape. There’s a lot of responsibility on my shoulders; I can’t just leave.”

“But what if you could?”

What if he could? What if he could just run away forever? Wasn’t that what he was doing right now, running away? Sure, he didn’t intend to be gone longer than a few hours but he still ran. Didn’t he just admit to himself he wouldn’t mind dying from drinking dirty water if that meant he got to die freely? Wouldn’t he love to stay in this clearing making flower crowns with Jared? No tutors or writing lines or stiff family dinners or needlessly fancy garb or unwanted suitors. Just him and Jared and all the animals of the forest.

If he could….

“I think I could stay here forever,” he confessed, matching Jared’s gaze.

The pressure on his hand increased. “Could you? Do you mean that?”

“I- Yes, why-”

“Jen, do you really mean that? If you could stay here forever, you would?”

Jensen stared at him, probably resembling a fish with the way his mouth hung open. “Jared, yes I would. But I can’t. There’s just too much riding on me and-”

“You have your responsibilities.” Jared smiled sadly and slowly released his hand. “I understand. I have responsibilities too. My parents want me to start taking the family business seriously. It’s like they know none of my other siblings want to take over and I don’t care enough to leave.”

“Yeah…. It’s nice to have breaks where we don’t have to be so serious though, isn’t it?” Jensen smiled when Jared seemed to perk up.

“Yeah. I guess it is.”

Jensen looked up and startled when he noticed where the sun was. “Oh no. I-I gotta get back.” He scrambled to his feet. “I didn’t mean to be out here so long. My parents will be looking for me and if they found out I left the grounds I’ll-”  _ be royally screwed _ .

Jared squeezed his hand again and stood with him. He was taller than Jensen thought but that was fine because that was just the right height for the sun to halo him and make him glow like a goddamn angel. “It’s okay, Jen. I’m sure no one even noticed you were gone yet. It’s not that late just yet.”

Jensen shook his head, but smiled at the kind words. “No, it is. I just gotta go now. But thank you, for everything. I had a great time.”

“Will you come back?”

“What?”

“Will you come back?”

“I...I’ll try. Things can get busy at home though.”

“Just come when you can. I’ll be here.” Jared pressed a soft kiss to the back of Jensen’s hand and the next thing he knew, he was back with his horse.

Not sure what to make of that encounter, he got dressed and got back on his horse. “Time to go home, Baby,” he murmured, doing his best to ignore the tugging in his gut that home was in another direction.

\---------

That night, he laid in bed thinking about his afternoon in the forest. Jared’s laughter flitted through his mind and he kept seeing those hazel eyes that never seemed to stay one shade. If he hadn’t been there himself to experience the wonder, he might’ve laughed at the idea of love at first sight. That had to be what it was, right? Why he couldn’t stop thinking about Jared. Why not a single word of his father’s lecture bothered him while he still felt the sun on his face. Why he didn’t mind doing the lines while Jared’s voice ran through his head. Why he was thinking of a way to see Jared as soon as possible. 

It would be at least another week if he went about it like he did today. He got lucky, really. Somehow, none of the staff seemed to notice he was gone for hours, even though alarm usually spread through the castle if he was just hidden well enough in the library. It must be all the preparations for the ball in a few months that were keeping them occupied. It’s the only thing that makes sense, really. 

He might just have to take a chance on something different. Maybe no one would notice if he snuck out after dinner one day. He rarely had anyone check in on him after that anyway. As long as he was before the night guard shift, he would be fine. He wasn’t even sure he would care if he did get caught.

He just had to see Jared again. He was invited back after all. It’d be rude to refuse an invitation.


End file.
